Garden on the roof

This garden stands of the roof of a new public building in my street. The building is a gym and they had this great idea to put a garden on top of it. This garden is one of Paris "shared gardens" as we call it (Jardins partagés) where you can grow your own little part of land with vegetables. Information about these "shared gardens" is available on Paris website (here) but in French only.

Street view up the hill

Today is a holiday in France (Easter). So let's have a walk in sunny Paris and enjoy the view from Menilmontant hilltop.

Sunday bread

What will I choose for my Sunday breakfast ?

Even the Police !

Yes, everybody is biking in Paris !

Paris - New York

This entrance of a typical 20th arrondissement pathway in my neighborhood was the locational of a Company that does not longer exist. I like it that the kept the sign. 

Street artist ?

If you've ever been in Paris you certainly noticed these "poles" on the pavements which prevent cars from parking. Their natural color is dark brown and suddenly here in my street we discovered that during the night they all were painted in bright and various colors. maybe a street artist ?

Foie de veau or Aligot ?

I will have "Aligot". What about you ?

Little Parisian in the white

Snow is back and this time enough to stay on the ground. Hopefully the little guy is well dressed for the cold.

Art at night

Art gallery in the 20th arrondissement.

A different Paris

Paris is not only the one most tourist just see, the monuments, the beautiful buildings, fancy restaurants ... It's also a city where people with low income live and where little houses like this one can still be found especially in the 18th, 19th and 20th arrondissement where I live.

Unusual street scene

I was riding down the rue de Lagny in the 20th arrondissement when I caught that unusual scene. The street traffic was stopped because a train was crossing. In fact it's a Metro that is leaving its storage house and I think this kind of Grade Crossing is one of the only in Paris.

General strike

Yesterday was another national general strike day to protest against the Government's project concerning Retirement laws.Demonstrators have lots of ideas for posters like this one based on l'Oreal advertising slogan "Parce que je le vaut bien" (because I'm worth it) and transformed with Skarkozy and his minister photos with a "Dehors - Parce qu'ils ne valent rien" which means "Out - because they worth nothing ".
Strike is still going on today in public transportations and oil refineries. We do not know if it's going to end or be bigger ... but hey, would it be France, or even southern Europe without big strikes !

Theme day : Graffiti

Theme day today. Graffiti can be really art pieces sometimes ... well the car owner may not think so !

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

A giraf in Paris

Watch out man ! You're followed !

Back home in the 20th arrondissement

I am back from a terrific vacations and I thank you for your comments and wishes left on my last post. Being back home just this morning I invite you to my home area the 20th arrondissement, which apart from the Père Lachaise cemetery, in not often visited by foreigners. This little street is named "rue Etienne Dolet" and leads to that charming church on top of numerous stairs called "Eglise Notre Dame de la Croix".

Jardin du Carré Baudoin

Yes I am still in Paris and airports are still closed at least until Tuesday morning. It is an unbelievable situation but I must say that I am not too sad because first I could postpone my vacation to next Friday (which does not mean flights will be operating ! ) and second I am home so not like those people who try to get back home.
Today's picture is a place that very few tourist visit. It is located in the 20th arrondissement and this little garden takes its name from the nice mansion you can see called " Nicolas Carré de Baudoin 's house". The house, built in 1770,  is a perfect example, and the only one left in Paris, of the "country houses" that aristocrats and wealthy bourgeois built in the XVIII century for their "rest". Actually at that time the 20th arrondissement was really in the country side as Paris was much smaller.

Spring, blue sky and ... volcanic cloud !

Perfect weather today in Paris with a great blue sky but unfortunately way up there there is a huge volcanic cloud covering most of Europe and blocking all air traffic since Thursday. We hope that it would end today but Paris airports have been closed until Monday morning and probably more ! Never had this situation and guess what ? I was supposed to take a flight tomorrow for my spring break ! Flight cancelled and nothing available before next Friday ... if the cloud has gone ... if not I may also be unemployed because it would mean 1 whole week without any flight ! Well in the meantime just enjoy the trees ... 

Up to le Père Lachaise

Going to to the Père Lachaise cemetery.

Street flowerpot

A strange but nice flowerpot created on a street pole.

Grafitis street

Located in the 20th arrondissement near metro station "Belleville", this is the "rue Denoyez" where a lot of old building are in a process of being renovated. Meanwhile, "artists" are expressing themselves.
A little funny thing about this street is that down the street, the city of Paris just opened a brand new swimming pool and if you take the street name in French "rue Dénoyez" can also be understood as "rue des noyés" which means "street of the drowned persons". Nice for a swimming pool street isnt'it ?